Midwest Political Science Association

Presented

April 5, 2024

Location

Annual conference of the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA); Chicago

Presentation

Proposal

Title

(82 characters; 250 limit)

Operational Flexibility, International Civil Society, and China’s Overseas NGO Law

Brief Overview

(227 characters; 250 limit)

To understand the effect of closing space for global civil society following China’s 2017 Overseas NGO law, we explore how NGO issue areas and organizational characteristics influence their flexibility under strict regulations.

Keywords

(49 characters; 250 limit)

China, international NGO, civil society, ONGO law

Abstract

(1,388 characters; 1,500 limit)

The regulatory environment for international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) has become increasingly restricted. The level of restriction INGOs face in practice varies, however. INGOs working on non-contentious issues such as humanitarian aid tend to see less restriction than those working on more contentious issues like advocacy. In spite of these restrictions, contentious organizations are often able to continue their work by relying on their operational flexibility. In this paper we explore the sources of this operational flexibility to determine which organizational factors allow INGOs to work effectively under legal restrictions. China provides an excellent setting for testing our argument. Its 2017 Overseas NGO (ONGO) law created two avenues for operating in the country: hundreds of INGOs have obtained permanent formal registration and while thousands work through temporary activities lasting no more than one year. Using data on both (1) formal and temporary activities registration and (2) organization-level characteristics such as issue areas, funding sources, and other instrumental details, we examine what determines if an INGO registers formally or through temporary activities. Our results provide an empirical illustration of the practical effect of NGO restrictions on global civil society and how organizations can adapt to this new legal environment.

--- title: "Midwest Political Science Association" date: 2024-04-05 toc: true abstract: | Annual conference of the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA); Chicago abstract-title: "Location" published-title: "Presented" image: first-slide.png page-layout: full --- ## Presentation <div class="ratio ratio-16x9"> <iframe class="slide-deck" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1UHpvm1xkvFKlAQ5SF5WSbTouUvaMpcJvFB3zujdEUzc/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </div> ## Proposal ### Title *(82 characters; 250 limit)* Operational Flexibility, International Civil Society, and China’s Overseas NGO Law ### Brief Overview *(227 characters; 250 limit)* To understand the effect of closing space for global civil society following China's 2017 Overseas NGO law, we explore how NGO issue areas and organizational characteristics influence their flexibility under strict regulations. ### Keywords *(49 characters; 250 limit)* China, international NGO, civil society, ONGO law ### Abstract *(1,388 characters; 1,500 limit)* The regulatory environment for international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) has become increasingly restricted. The level of restriction INGOs face in practice varies, however. INGOs working on non-contentious issues such as humanitarian aid tend to see less restriction than those working on more contentious issues like advocacy. In spite of these restrictions, contentious organizations are often able to continue their work by relying on their operational flexibility. In this paper we explore the sources of this operational flexibility to determine which organizational factors allow INGOs to work effectively under legal restrictions. China provides an excellent setting for testing our argument. Its 2017 Overseas NGO (ONGO) law created two avenues for operating in the country: hundreds of INGOs have obtained permanent formal registration and while thousands work through temporary activities lasting no more than one year. Using data on both (1) formal and temporary activities registration and (2) organization-level characteristics such as issue areas, funding sources, and other instrumental details, we examine what determines if an INGO registers formally or through temporary activities. Our results provide an empirical illustration of the practical effect of NGO restrictions on global civil society and how organizations can adapt to this new legal environment.